At Manchester City, talk of records never stops, even amid the storm surrounding the club over the charges brought against it in the Premier League. As the battle for the top of the table rages on, Enzo Maresca is closing in on a historic feat achieved by Pep Guardiola. His start raises an intriguing question: can the former pupil write a new chapter and surpass his teacher?
Three points clear of Arsenal, Manchester City sit top of the table after Maresca won his first five league matches. That makes him the sixth manager to pull off the feat. Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all managed six consecutive wins, while Craig Shakespeare and Maurizio Sarri each won five.
One more victory would see Maresca match Guardiola's best start with Manchester City. The Spaniard racked up six straight wins to open both the 2016-2017 and 2023-2024 seasons.
Guardiola made no attempt to hide his admiration for his former coach, saying: "I feel towards Enzo the same feeling I had when I saw Mikel Arteta; he will be an exceptional manager."
Few know the club better than Maresca. He worked with the reserve team in 2020-2021, then served as Guardiola's assistant in 2022-2023, before taking charge of Leicester City and Chelsea.
Similar ideas, different details
The similarity between the two managers is clear, yet Carles Planchart, Guardiola's former assistant, believes Maresca combines the best of what he learned from different coaches. His style, Planchart explains, makes him a model of the manager who draws on past experiences without merely copying them.
Brian Barry-Murphy, the former Manchester City coach and current Cardiff manager, agrees. He points to the pair's shared focus on developing players, giving them confidence, and helping them understand the roles required of them on the pitch.
Maresca, though, refuses to let his project be reduced to a Guardiola tribute act. "I am not here to imitate anyone, but to do my job and impose my own vision of football," he insists. "It is an interesting challenge, because I consider Guardiola the best manager of the past twenty years."
Football, the Italian believes, demands constant evolution. The growing importance of set pieces and man-marking forces coaches to find new solutions and adapt to the changing variables of the game.
Possession is not everything
Matheus Nunes sees the tactical overlap too, especially the desire to control the game and cut down on goals conceded. But he believes the differences have begun to emerge gradually as Maresca cements his own ideas.
Hugo Viana, Manchester City's sporting director, confirmed that Maresca's prior knowledge of the club helped him settle quickly while introducing his own methods. Ruben Dias pointed to the same: familiar principles carried over, alongside changes in the details of training, pressing and defending.
That difference showed clearly in the thrilling 5-3 win over Sunderland. The match revealed attacking strength but, in return, raised questions about the team's defensive balance, according to the Spanish newspaper "Marca".
Paul Merson tore into the defensive performance, arguing the team looked disorganised at times. Maresca, meanwhile, reckoned winning 1-0 is better than winning 5-3, a nod to his preference for controlling the game and reducing risks.
Possession and positional play remain central, yet Maresca leans on more direct full-backs and more ferocious individual pressing across the pitch. The result is a higher volume of defensive duels.
The numbers tell the story. Chelsea under his leadership needed 10.72 passes from the opponent for each defensive challenge, compared to 11.55 passes for Manchester City under Guardiola. That gap reflects a different approach to pressing and winning back the ball.
"I think we have become very close," Maresca said. "The players understand the way we want to defend and press." He noted that 76% of pressing attempts against Bournemouth ended with the ball won back.
A new challenge in the shadow of Guardiola's legacy
Succeeding a manager of Guardiola's stature is no easy task, and Maresca knows it. The Spaniard left an exceptional mark at Manchester City, leading the club to 20 titles, a legacy that is difficult to repeat.
The Italian, though, refuses to dwell on comparisons or the scale of past achievements. His focus is on developing his team and improving the performance match by match.
"Being at this club after a legend like Pep is a great honour," Maresca said. "I know that not winning would be a disaster, and that is natural, but it is part of my job. I don't spend my time thinking about who came before me or about his achievements, but I focus on what we can improve, developing the team and trying to win matches."
Anfield awaits. The test against Liverpool carries particular weight: a chance for Maresca to match Guardiola's record, and to prove Manchester City can keep their edge under a manager who borrows some of his teacher's ideas but is set on building an identity of his own.